Insulation is pretty important if you want to have a good living space.
Some people go super nerdy about it, and there is so much technical information out there but to a large extent it depends on your budget and what method suits you and your needs best.
In this guide I will go through two simple insulation methods, which anyone can do without specialist equipment.
VIDEO GUIDE:
Insulation System 1
Celotex / Polyisocyanurate / PIR board
- Walls & doors: 50mm Celotex foam board + Insulation foil + Cladding/Panels
- Roof: 30mm Celotex + Insulation foil + Cladding
- Floor: 30mm Cleotex foam + 9mm ply/flooring
- Ducting: Filled with spray foam
- Remaining metal work: Auto carpet
In general I did not want to loose too much height so there is a bit less on the ceiling and floor. As it is, if I stand straight my hair just brushes the roof – It would not have been good to loose another inch.
For the floor I put in wooded stud and glued it down, with the shape of the base of the van it left just the right space to put in insulation board. I screwed the plywood down on top of it (a new ply base came with the van).
For the walls and the roof the shapes tend to be a bit awkward but my general process was as follows;
- Measure and cut the shape out using a jigsaw
- Place it in, ideally it is just a little too big so it wedges in
- Use spray foam as ‘cement’ and fill in any gaps (using the gun grade foam)
This also worked on the ceiling, which saved having to prop the insulation panels against the roof for ages while glue dried. Wedging it in and using the spray foam was really quick.
Using the expanding foam as a fixant worked really well and was quick to do. The box work (at the top of the photo) needed various pieces to be cut, slid in and tessellated until it was full. I then used foam gun to fill in any gaps.
Gluing in the foam board insulation with the spray gun
Important!
There are some areas of ducting, especially around the doors, which have functional mechanisms in (locks/access to lighting etc) – just check you are not filling something that one day you will need to access.. or you will have to spend half a day trying to dig-out because the door no longer locks!
This is the van 70% insulated. At this point I have half applied the foil to the van.
Notice the slots in the foam around the electrical conduit. These spaces could have been smaller but I eventually just filled it will foam gun in the end anyway.
The van is looking a bit of a mess at this time but don’t be disheartened – this is a major preparation stage and, once finished, everything you do starts to make it prettier!
An easy way to put up the foil insulation layer..
I used some old screws, pushing them through the foil and into the foam insulation behind it – simply to tack it up in its pace.
A whole load of these and the insulation is quite effectively attached. I then used gaffa tape to seal up the edges.
Extreme cold insulation - notes
Celotex (or similar polyiso insulating board) is not ideal for vans where the average temperature will be lower than around 5°C (41°F).
About polyiso board: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyisocyanurate
HOWEVER… In reality the key benefit of insulation is to prevent the van getting super hot and to prevent condensation build-up on the metal; if you are operating in cold temperatures for long periods then a heater is essential for your comfort – it also prevents the van damping-out and allows your stuff to dry.
From personal experience I found that if the weather is cold outside and you do not use a heater – eventually the van is going to get nearly as cold inside than out. Insulation and its efficiency just slows this process – but it is going to happen in the end!
Better cold-weather insulation
XPS (extruded polystyrene) is a better performer (as are some others – see link below) when it come to cold weather performance. XPS is not the most environmentally friendly product to produce – however in a life-cycle analysis it may be beneficial.
Insulation performance in cold weather: http://www.owenscorning.com/NetworkShare/EIS/10019950- FOAMULAR-XPS-vs-Poly-FAQ.pdf
Insulation System 2
DODO Thermo Fleece, DODO Thermo Van Liner & Sound Deadening
I got all my insulation in one order from these guys: http://bit.ly/2p9PEEa If you are going to go down this route – I would give them a call/drop then an email and tell them what van you are looking to insulate and they will put an order together. You can see the quantities I used at the end of this book.
- Walls & Ceiling and doors: Sound deadening & Thermo fleece
- Floor: 30mm Cleotex foam + 9mm ply/flooring
- Ducting: Filled with spray foam
- Remaining metal work: Auto carpet
Step 1: Do the floors the same as the system described above – the video guide below explains why I used the same flooring insulation for my second van.
Watch the video below to learn how to install the rest of the Dodo wrap system. It is fast to do and I have found it to be really effective.
Step 2. Add sound deadening. These heavy sheets are easy to stick on and the whole process takes just a few minutes.
Step 3. Fleece installation
The Dodo Thermal Fleece is soft and easy to tear, stuff in holes and apply. Use spray glue to spray on the van, and onto the fleece and simply stick it to the wall.
This is a much faster process than the PIR board/Celetex which needs each section crafting to fit your vans spaces.
Step 4. Dodo Thermo Van Liner
The van liner can be used direct to the metal as a first layer or –as I use it doubled up as a vapor barrier.
Tips for installing the van liner;
- Have someone help you when it comes to wrapping it around the van – the rolls are big and it is tricky alone
- Make sure the corners are pushed in as much as you If you do not then you get a bowing effect and it is hard to fit wood up-to the corners
- If this does happen (it probably will somewhere) then use some thick tape (like Gorilla tape) and cut the thermoliner, allow it to open a bit and tape it up to re-create the moisture barrier.
The Dodo insulation system – one delivery, half a day to install and highly effective as insulation and a moisture barrier.
Cladding & Danish Oil
I used 8mm interior cladding – it is thinner than external cladding so easier to flex around the van shape and it has a better finish than external cladding.
VIDEO GUIDE
Typically the cladding has a smooth side and a slightly rougher side. Just make sure you are putting it on the right way!
Applying the cladding to the window side. I first screwed plywood strips to each end (see where the cladding is screwed) and also in the middle. The cladding is fixed at both ends with screws, and in the middle using cladding clips.
Cladding clips. They usually come in packs of 50 and include little nails. The spiky projecting section shares the slot in the cladding’s groove and the nail goes in the hole behind it as the fixing.
For the top of the van, as we have fixed points to fix the cladding to, (the stud work across the ceiling) you need to ensure the joins are on one of these bits of stud work.
The cladding I had was 3 long, about 40cm too short to go the full length of the roof. For that reason I cut the cladding down to two lengths.
- One length from the Front to the Second-to-last stud-work
- The other half the length from the Back to the Front join stud-work
I started on one side of the van and worked my way over to the other. The way cladding clips work mean you can only work one way!
Along the tongue of each piece of cladding I put a thin line of sealant glue. The idea was to reduce any creaking and make it more solid. Either creaking sounds is not an issue from the cladding, or it worked!
As I went I measured and cut holes for the roof eye-plates, lights and for the extraction fan. This was done BEFORE I fixed the cladding up.
Where your cladding needs more support (especially on the doors) using screw cups is a nice touch & it protects the wood from splitting.
Once done, I sanded the cladding down. P150 sandpaper is about right.
Danish Oil
To finish the cladding I used Danish Oil. It is pretty good stuff.
Danish Oil protects the wood without making it too glossy. It makes it slightly darker – but on the pine, not much.
I used Ronseal Danish Oil, I bought two 500ml cans. These two cans were enough for my whole build.
To apply it, once you have given the cladding a rub down with sand paper, you just use an old rag and wipe it on.
Leave it 6 hours, and repeat this until it has three coatings. You can buy fast drying Danish oil but I find using this stuff gives me headaches as it off-gasses.